IDEP Application

Personal information

• Biographical, contact, and citizenship information is collected information which includes alternate name, gender and birth information; current and permanent addresses; email address most often checked by the applicant; and phone number.
• Citizenship Information:
  • All applicants with US citizenship, permanent/conditional-temporary residents or holding any legal visa status in US are eligible to apply. It is important for all applicants to accurately represent their immigration status. The citizenship statuses include: U.S. Citizen, Permanent U.S. Resident, Temporary U.S. Resident, and Non-Resident
  • Applicants with dual citizenship can note this after they have indicated their U.S. citizenship.
  • Please note the following: If you are a non-immigrant, please say "Non-Resident." If you are a Conditional U.S. Permanent Resident (I-531C), please say "Temporary U.S. Resident."
  • The visa types available include:
  • B-1: visitor.  F-1: student.  F-2: spouses and children of F-1 visa holders.  H-4: spouses and dependents of H visa holders.  H-1B: employee.  I-94: asylum granted.  I-94: Cuban-Haitian entrant.  I-94: parolee.  I94: refugee.  I-94: victim of human trafficking.  J-1: student. J-1: teacher, researcher or trainee.  J-2: spouses and dependents of J-1 visa holders. Refugee.  Visa waiver; WB status.  Visa waiver: WT status.  Other.
  • IMPORTANT: If an applicant's citizenship or visa status changes after submitting the application, he/she must contact IDEP at IDEP@uthscsa.edu directly with the information. 

Academic History

• Colleges Attended
  • Please report all institutions, related or not to the program you are applying for, starting by entering the institution where you earned your international dental degree.
  • ECE “Course by Course” Evaluation of the applicant's foreign dental school transcripts is required. We accept only ECE evaluations.
    • When generated by ECE, a minimum U.S. COMPREHENSIVE GPA of 2.50 or above is required for the dental degree.  Visit www.ece.org to request that your  ECE course-by-course evaluation be sent electronically to CAAPID.  Please see CAAPID website for instructions. This does not take the place of an official dental school transcript.
    • Please include in the ECE evaluation any advanced dental education programs completed or in progress at the time of application that you attended outside of the United States if you want it to be considered by the admission committee. There is no minimum requirement for the GPA of the advanced dental programs.
• Previous Application and Attendance
  • Please list all the US dental or health professions degrees completed or in progress at the time of the application. Please follow ADEA CAAPID instructions for all the transcripts of  US institutions.
• ADA Standardized Tests
  • National Board Exam
    • We require either the Integrated National Board Dental Examination (INBDE) or the National Board Exams Part 1 and Part 2 with a status of PASS.  Please contact www.ada.org to request that your score be sent electronically to CAAPID. Please see the CAAPID website for instructions. National Board Exam results do not expire under ADA policy. While some state boards impose time limits for licensure, the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners does not. Passing National Board results are accepted by our Program regardless of the date obtained.
• Standardized Tests
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
    • An official score report of your TOEFL examination must be received electronically by CAAPID  from the Educational Testing Service (ets.org)
    • We require a minimum iBT Scaled Score of 92 or 4.5 (according to the new scoring, January 2026). TOEFL and Home Edition iBT Scaled Scores are accepted. MyBest Scores are NOT accepted, no exceptions or modifications. Test scores must be no more than two years old as of the application deadline. Go to www.ets.org to request TOEFL score to be sent electronically to CAAPID.

Supporting Information

• Evaluations
  • We require three electronic evaluations through CAAPID. One evaluation must be from the Dean or a faculty member from the dental school or a dental post-graduate program you attended. All references must have a contact phone number and be willing to be contacted by the admissions committee.
  • The content of the evaluation is important.  References that have personal stories to attest to your knowledge, skill, and personality are stronger.
  • Length and involvement of relationships matter.  Example: Someone who worked with you full-time (5 days a week for a year) is stronger than someone who worked with you occasionally for a year.
• Experiences
  • Include only experiences that were not mandatory graduation requirements. Ensure each experience is listed in the appropriate category to avoid duplication.
  • Please provide information about the organization with which the experience was completed, the supervisor’s contact information, the dates of experience, the time commitment made to the experience, and a description of the experience or responsibilities.
• Achievements
  • List awards, publications, and presentations during or after Dental School, including the DOI of the publications, the name of the honor or award, the name of the organization presenting the honor or award, the date the honor or award was received, and a description of the honor or award.
• Licenses
  • Provide information about any dental or other professional licenses held, including the license number, date of issue, and country of issue.  Applicants will be asked to upload a copy of their license to the application.
• Other Relevant Information
• Personal Statement
• Documents:
  • You will upload all the dental diplomas in this section, starting with the dental school degree.

Program Materials

• Additional questions and acknowledgements.
• Documents
  • CV
  • Any current U.S.-based oral health license 

APPLICATION STEP 2: Program requirements

Supplemental fees

• Our program requires a non-refundable supplemental administrative application fee of $150.00 USD. This fee is separate from the CAAPID application fee and must be submitted after completing your CAAPID application and by the deadline. Please note that your supplemental fee payment is linked to your CAAPID ID. If you have not completed your CAAPID application before paying the supplemental fee, we will be unable to locate your record in the CAAPID system or confirm receipt of your payment. The fee is not refundable and is not applied toward tuition or other fees.  For payment instructions please click here . Applications will only be considered complete once the supplemental fee has been received.

Application Deadline

• Application opens March 5, 2026; the deadline is June 9, 2026.
• Only applications that are complete and meet all the requirements by the deadline will be reviewed and considered for interview. You will receive an email from UT Health San Antonio acknowledging that your application is complete.
• We recommend closely monitoring your application. If you haven’t received an email from us, it may indicate that something is missing from your application.
• Please note that information regarding the review status of an applicant or an application cannot be released.
  
  Apply here.

Kira Talent Virtual Interview

• After an initial review of your application, the program may invite you to participate in a virtual interview through Kira Talent. Please note that the Kira interview platform requires a fee, which typically ranges from $40.00 to $50.00, to be covered by the applicant.
• After completing this virtual interview, your application will undergo a holistic review, and selected applicants will be invited for an in-person interview and skills test.

In-Person Interview and Skills Testing Phase

• Interviews are conducted only by direct invitation from the program, and you will receive a call only if you are selected for an in-person interview. Please do not call our program to inquire about the status of your application review.
• The committee reviews all complete, eligible applications for scoring. Scoring is rubric-based, holistic, and blinded. On average, we receive 800 - 1300 applications a year. Candidates selected for the interview and skills-testing phase of the admissions process will be notified by email or phone at least three weeks in advance of their scheduled interview date.
• These sessions will be conducted in person, from July through September. All candidates selected for the interview and skills/bench test will receive detailed instructions and preparation tips after confirming their invitation. These instructions will be provided no earlier than three weeks before the scheduled date.
• Required for the interview are:
  • A non-refundable dental skill testing fee of $385.00 (fee subject to change). The fee is not applied toward tuition or other fees.
  • A 2x2 inch (51x51 mm, 5x5 cm) photo is required of all candidates invited for this phase of the IDEP admissions process.
  • Official Foreign Dental School Transcripts: Our university requires all foreign credential transcripts, including those from dental school and post-graduate programs, for enrollment in the ECE evaluation. Each document is an original or a copy that is issued and certified by the university or college. It must contain the institution's original stamp or seal and the appropriate school authority's original signature.

IMPORTANT! We no longer accept transcripts sent by mail. 

Please review the following instructions regarding transcripts.

    FIRST TIME APPLICANTS or REAPPLICANTS who did NOT interview last year

1. Your university can email us the transcripts before the interview, or
2. You can bring a sealed envelope with the transcripts on the day of the interview.

Please let us know which option you choose when we call you to schedule the interview. If you choose email, we will monitor it and confirm receipt with you. 
Please review the instructions related to the two options: 

1. Email Submission by University/Dental School:

• You will request your University/Dental School to email a signed and scanned copy of your official transcript containing the University seal directly to idep@uthscsa.edu from an official university email address as soon as possible and before the interview day.
• If possible, ask the university to copy you on the email to provide you with proof of delivery.
• The file name must begin with your last name, followed by your first name, and contain the word "transcript". Example: Smith_John_Transcript.pdf 

2. Sealed Envelope: 

• You will bring the closed and sealed transcript envelope(s) to your interview. 

If we do not receive your transcripts via email and/or you fail to provide a sealed envelope on the day of the interview, your interview will be immediately canceled. Please note that any fees already paid will not be refunded.

IMPORTANT: If your transcript is not in English, it must include a certified English translation. An ECE or WES report will not satisfy this requirement.

FOR APPLICANTS WHO INTERVIEWED LAST YEAR 

If you interviewed last year and we have your transcripts, we should be able to locate them and will inform you when we call to schedule your interview. 

• In the past, there have been instances where additional interview spots became available at the last minute, leading to short-notice interview invitations. To be prepared, we recommend keeping a sealed envelope with your transcripts ready in case you are invited to an interview on short notice.

• After the interview and skills testing phase of the application process, and upon receiving an official letter of acceptance, applicants selected for the IDEP class starting in 2027 are required to respond to the acceptance letter by the deadline reply date. We are currently accepting 20 students into the Program.
• Accepted IDEP students must meet and maintain all educational, financial and immigration commitments before matriculation to UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry.
• At the time of acceptance, a non-refundable $5,000 (subject to change) placement holder fee payment is required.  This payment must be received along with the signed Statement of Intent by the deadline reply date to maintain acceptance. This fee is not applied toward tuition or other fees.
• You will then begin the process of becoming a registered student in our Advanced placement program with official enrollment.
• If an individual accepted for the program withdraws, then applicants identified as alternates may be sent an official letter of acceptance.

Texas Residency Classification and Immigration

The determination of Texas residency classification for admission and tuition purposes is governed by statutes enacted by the Texas Legislature and rules and regulations promulgated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. IDEP applicants will be required to answer questions to determine Texas residency.

Only after official acceptance into the program will the IDEP office initiate contact with the Office of International Services (OIS). At that time, accepted applicants will be required to submit documentation to the OIS office. Instructions will be given at the appropriate time.

Financial Aid

Acceptance into IDEP is not a guarantee of eligibility for financial aid. Financial aid for dental school is awarded to eligible students based on financial need and citizenship — those that are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens. A Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA) may be downloaded electronically from the U.S. Department of Education to determine eligibility.